The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-26
CHURCH POLITICS.
The Two Presbyteria Churches.
CAUSTIC SPEECH IN THE CONVEN-
TION AT ST. LOUIS.
Col. Livingston. of G.orsIa. Replies to Or. smoo,
on the Subject OF Union or
Cooperation.

| st. LOUIS, May 2o.-Ihe presbyterian
General Assembly. South, devoted the
morning session to argument ON organic
union. Elder j. T. Livingston, of Geor-
gia, and Rev. j. NJ. Potts, of Alabama
spoke i'm favor of union with the North
ern Church, and w. III. Parks, of ST.
Louis, opposed it.
The invitation of the Second Presby-
terian Church of Philadelphia to the As
sembly to hold their next session in that
city and extending their hospitality was
| declined, as this Assembly has no church
| in Philadelphia, but they resolved to
hold their next session in May, 1888, at
| Baltimore, and to take a recess on the
| fourth Thursday in May and proceed to
Philadelphia to assist in the celebration
of the centennial anniversary Of the Re-
formed Presbyterians of America. They
| further accepted their quota of the ad-
| dresses.
DIR. Smoot, of Texas, attacked the
minority report last night and made a
long speech against union with the
| Northern Church. There is not a de-
mand in the church. he said, for the
opening of the question. The church
was not to follow in the wake of any
political or business movement in this
country.
They say the war is over. Politicians
North and South are fixing up their diff
ficulties, but where is the connection?
This is not a war church. This is not a
cesession church. We hold that any man,
no matter whether he was born in Maine
or Texas, can be taken into the fellow
ship of our church. If we were united
with the Northern Church every time
we met there would be argument, and
dissension and alienation. Ours
is not a Southern church,
but church of the United States that
differs from the Presbyterian Church of
the the United States in the interpreta-
ton of our common standards; church
and State are not united. 1t is said that
we fellows are Pestiferous old agitators
because we will not unite with the
Northern Church now that political diff
ferences are settled. 1t is said that the
war is over. Well. you have read of the
earthquakes which, after they have
passed, have left assures in plains and
granite mountains. The assures in the
plains can be filled up, but it will remain
in the mountains, which represents
principle, as long as the mountains
stand. l mean no discOurtesy to any
gentleman, but almost all tho e preach
ora ub, hay.. ,rnna hack into tho H.
ern Church were most rabid during the
war. 1t took two men to hold them
sometimes when the Northern Church
was spoken of. The quiet men stayed
the longest and only went out when
they had to; they have not gone back.
WHEN THE DIvIs.ON BECAME PERMANENT.
When the General Assembly met in
Columbus, Miss, in 1874, there was so
much talk about reuniting that our COM
mittee said to the committee of the
Northern Assembly that if they would
say the political differences that caused
the split were formulated in times of
great excitement the committee would
recommend consolidation. The Northern
committee would not say that and there
the matter rested. But you established
| fraternal relations in 1882. Yes, and the
| Northern Assembly agreed to such estab-
| lishmenI, but stated that they receded
from no principle. Then two granite
pillars were erected without an aIch at
| the top, or a bridge at the bottom, repre-
senting two churches, showing where
they stood and that they stood far apart.
The speaker reviewed the various ac-
| tions of the Northern Assembly toward
| the uniting of the churches and then re-
ferred again to the majority report. He
thought the dictation of description of
the union disrespectful to the Northern
Assembly, and said: They have too
much honesty and principle to accept
these conditions He advised the aban-
donment of the position he had heard of
to the effect that the Northern Church
| would not accede to the conditions, but
having proposed it the Southern Church
would have the advantage in the public
mind. IF you love your Northern
brethren as you say you do, don't put
them in that position"
| THEN HE W As FLA Ed Ai4lN
Col. Livingston, of Georgia, handled
DIR. Smoot with bare knuckles. Col.
Livingston said: when the majority
made the report it was out of no disre-
| spect fer the fathers of the church, like
Dr. Smoot. The speaker admitted that
he had represented his people in the
Legislature at home. but he was not a
politician. DIR. SmOot's speech was
made up of the bloody shirt and an at
tack upon the Methodist board. He
born politician in the pulpit OF
Christ. He said DIR. Smoot had
been mad ever since the Federal army
came into his county in KeEbIcky and
they made him step up every thirty days
and take the oath. They could not trust
him more than thirty days Ever since
that time he has had no use for any
thing North of Mason and DixOn's line
| DIR. Smoot said he would not go if the
others went. The speaker suggested
rather quantity that they would let him
stay. He wanted to know if there wa.
any politics in his predecessor
address concerning Wendell Phillips and
Lloyd Garrison. He wondered if the
Northern man used language more cut
ting to the Southern people than thai
was to the Northern people. DIR. Smoo'
was different from Garrison. Garrison
| would say to Smoot: Your rebellion
caused all the sorrow and ruin Smoo,